1. Field of the Disclosure
The present subject matter generally relates to devices for clamping together separate workpieces. More particularly, the present subject matter relates to clamps for attaching or connecting frameless cabinets to each other.
2. Description of Related Art
There are a wide variety of clamps and clamping tools presently provided to satisfy the needs of different applications and workpieces. One common application which benefits from specialized clamps is the installation of cabinets, such as in a home kitchen or closet or in commercial or medical settings. Cabinets come in two broad categories—those having frames and those that are frameless—and there are specialized tools used for installing each. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,601 to Gurule illustrates a clamp which is useful for installing cabinets with face frames, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,589 to Smith, III and Gurule illustrates a clamp which is useful for installing frameless or “European-style” cabinets. Both of the foregoing patents are incorporated herein by reference.
The clamps described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,589 have proven to be useful in frameless cabinet installation by providing a force against the front faces of adjacent cabinets (to align the front faces) and a lateral force which holds the adjacent cabinets together while the cabinets are fastened to each other. However, this clamp does not provide means for full three-dimensional alignment of the cabinets, so there remains room for improvement.